If you’ve ever wanted to read the entire Bible, this page is for you!

First: DO NOT pick up a Bible and read it cover to cover—Genesis through Revelation. Here’s why: The Bible is a collection of 66 books. They were arranged in an order that made sense to Bible scholars hundreds of years ago, but doesn’t make much sense to 99.9% of readers today. If you try, you’ll probably get bogged down in the last half of Exodus, all of Leviticus, most of Numbers, and part of Deuteronomy. A good chunk of Joshua reads like the legal description of real estate. No wonder most people quit before they get to the page-turning stories of Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and 1 Samuel.

I will get you through all 66 books—all 1,189 chapters of the Bible, but we’ll take a very different route. I’ve arranged the Bible into seven sections, each one centered around a person:

1. Jesus, Author of Life
2. Paul, Transformed Leader
3. Moses, the Man Who Built a Nation
4. David, the Man After God’s Own heart
5. Solomon: Magnificence to Decline
6. Isaiah: A Towering Vision of God
7. Daniel: Rebuilding After Disaster

Each of these people will be the focus for seven weeks of reading. You’ll read an average of 91 verses a day—or around three chapters—sometimes more, sometimes less.

The reading plan below is just a start. I’m working on lots of goodies to go with this. If you want to follow my blog, sign up at the bottom of this page and I’ll let you know when new resources are available.

Section One: Jesus, Author of Life

How did Jesus of Nazareth manage to capture the imagination and direct the lives of billions of people over the last 2,000 years? You’ll find your answers here, as Jesus heals the sick, raises the dead, and cuts through stale religion to show us the true heart of God. We’ll meet His mother, Mary; His friends, Mary and Martha; His impulsive follower, Peter; and Judas, the man who betrayed Him; as well as Pilate, the man who sentenced Him to death. We’ll see Him triumph over death to give people hope, and to give His followers a mission to transform humanity. Then we travel back in time to meet Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel. We’ll take a close look at the good man Job, who suffered because he was righteous; and examine the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? We’ll return to see how God made a dysfunctional family whole.

Week 1
Day 1 Mark 1-4 — 149 verses, 0.3% finished

Let me get you started. Pick a version. (MSG, NLT, or NCV are easy to read, great choices if you’re new to the Bible.)

Section Two: Paul, Transformed Leader

On the road to Damascus, Saul, persecutor of Christians, meets Jesus, risen from the dead. In that encounter, Saul is transformed into Paul, the man who started churches all over the Roman Empire. We’ll learn about the courage of Peter and John, and read correspondence from all these leaders as they help the people of God come to grips with a new set of realities, and Christianity becomes a faith for every people, every culture, every nation. We end with the powerful book of Revelation—a vision of God’s ability to deal with a world gone mad.

Section Three: Moses, the Man Who Built a Nation

Pharaoh’s daughter and Miriam come up with a plan to rescue an Israeli child from death. That child grows up to rescue his people from slavery, lead them across the Red Sea, and take them to the borders of the Promised Land. Along the way, he gives his people laws from God—some designed for an ancient agricultural people, others meant to transcend culture and endure as a moral compass that guides our lives today. We’ll look at the crazy prophet Balaam who thought he could play games with God. We’ll also begin to look at some of the Psalms—songs and prayers celebrating God.

Section Four: David, the Man After God’s Own Heart

While David is best known for overcoming Goliath, his entire life reads like a novel. His father ignored him, his brothers hated him, his employer tried to kill him, his own sons rebelled against him. Despite these troubles, he looked up and saw a God who loved him, and celebrated that love with some of the most enduring songs and prayers ever written. We also meet Commander Joshua, Judge Deborah, strong-man Samson, doubtful Gideon, level-headed Abigail, loyal Ruth, and praying Hannah.

Section Five: Solomon: Magnificence to Decline

Considered the wisest and richest man who ever lived, Solomon’s life ended in tragedy as he forgot how he came to be who he was. From there, the nation of Israel split down the middle with two kingdoms emerging from the divide. We’ll read about the prophet who lied, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, and the mighty prophet Elijah who called down fire from heaven, and his amazing successor, Elisha.

Section Six: Isaiah: A Towering Vision of God

The nation was fractured; corruption was everywhere; invading armies were gathered at the borders. If ever there was a time to lose hope, this was that time. But one man, the prophet Isaiah, saw what others had missed—a vision of God that transcended all their troubles. In these troubled times, it was easy to hate. But the prophet Jonah learned a powerful lesson about loving our enemies, and God’s willingness to embrace anyone who is willing to turn to Him.

Section Seven: Daniel: Rebuilding After Disaster

Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. The scene was almost like a post-apocalyptic world. It looked like God was finished with His people, ready to write them off as a bad investment. But in this doubtful soil, hope began to grow. Here we meet Esther, the woman who saved her people; Ezekiel, the man who saw God; Jeremiah, the prophet with God’s heart; Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt Jerusalem; and Daniel, the man who saw the future.